Candle maker and redresser

ABSTRACT

A used candle is held against a flat electrically heated wax melting surface for removing the shoulder and the crater from the candle. The melted wax is directed through a drain to a container. The melted wax may be poured into a separate candle mold, or the container may be used directly to form a new candle. A multi legged wick pin holder, placed across the top of the container, holds one or more wick pins in vertical position when the container is used as a candle mold. The wax melting surface is angled slightly toward the drain to facilitate the flow of melted wax. A low heat conducting barrier keeps chunks of wax from clogging the drain. In one embodiment, the wax melting surface includes a gutter that communicates with a well formed around the drain. The well has tapered sides for shaping candle bottoms. In another embodiment, the wax melting surface has multiple angled planes converging at the drain.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART

This invention relates generally to candle redressing, i.e., eliminatingthe crater and removing the shoulder from a used candle, andspecifically to apparatus for redressing a “free standing” type candleand forming a new candle from the melted wax of the redressed candle.

While originally candles were mainly used to provide illumination,present day candles are for the most part decorative, with the lightgenerated being more for ambience than illumination. Consequently modemcandles are available in a great variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Asused herein the term free standing candle refers to a stick candle thatis self supporting, i.e., that doesn't require a holder of some sort.Stick candles include elegant taper candles and the relatively largepillar candles, which are quite popular. Also popular are containercandles in which the candle is burned in the same container in which itwas made Container candles often are more expensive because of thecontainer, which is generally made of glass. When a container candle isspent, the container, with wax residue and candle remains, are usuallywastefully discarded. While the present invention is not directed toredressing container candles, it is useful in making new containercandles.

Candles are generally infused with appropriate agents for emitting apleasant aroma, especially during burning. During candle burning, a poolof molten wax forms around its wick. The pool grows larger and deepens,forming a crater, usually circumscribed by an irregularly shapedshoulder, resulting in a non uniform and unsightly candle top. Underideal conditions, the candle top remains level as the candle burns andno shoulder forms as the pool of molten wax draws evenly from the entiretop of the candle surface. However, in most instances, the pool deepens,drawing wax non uniformly from the top of the candle, resulting in anuneven shoulder and a sunken wick. The wick may become so deeply sunkenthat the flame is extinguished, making the candle very difficult torelight Very often the shoulder is breached with the result that meltedwax spills down the side of the candle. The occurrence of any of theseevents significantly affects the candle's decorative characteristics andvery often renders it unfit for continued burning. When these things areconsidered in conjunction with the fact that the candles are relativelyexpensive, it is not surprising that such candles are either rarelyburned or need to be discarded after only a short period of use.

Special problem arise in connection with stick candles that need to besupported in a holder. Since stick candles and candle holders come inmany sizes and bottom configurations, it is often difficult to securelyfix a candle in a holder with the result that a dangerous situation canarise in which the candle may become loose, tilt, or even fall out ofthe holder. The present invention provides a technique and apparatus foraltering the bottom of a candle to achieve a better fit with candlestickholder.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,964,563, issued Nov. 15, 2005 to M. Milicevich,describes a candle re-topping device that comprises a bowl-like vesseladapted to be filled with water and heated on a stove. The bowl includesa surface, upon which the candle to be re-topped is positioned with itsshoulder adjacent the surface, for melting the shoulder wax. The meltedwax is drained from the surface via a number of holes in the surface,with the melted wax flowing into the bowl and mixing with the water. Atthe conclusion, the re-topped candle is removed and the water and waxcontents of the bowl discarded. Since the bowl becomes hot during theprocess, it is provided with a pair of handles, as well as a spout, forenabling safe discharge of its contents.

U.S. Pat. No. 5.988,446, issued Nov. 23, 1999 to J. Schitter, disclosesa heated funnel for melting bits of candle wax and depositing the meltedwas in a container. A spool of wick material is conveniently mounted tothe underside of the funnel. The redressing of candle tops is notdisclosed nor discussed.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,945, issued Jan. 7, 1992 to D. Byron, discloses acombined candle holder and candle mold base. Dripping wax from a burningcandle is directed to the base, in which a wick is supported, forforming a new candle. The bottom of the mold base is removable and themold base may be coated with a release agent to facilitate removal ofthe newly formed candle. No external heating is disclosed nor discussed.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,412,670, issued Jul. 2, 2002 to Randmae et al.,discloses a device for making candles from either pieces of old candlesor from new candle wax. The unit is electrically heated to melt the waxwhich flows into a dispensing chamber that includes a manually operablevalve arrangement for controlling flow of melted wax to a removable moldin the base of the device. The patent discusses using a wick support onthe mold, or providing the mold with a post for forming a passagethrough which a wick is later threaded.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,922, issued Dec. 21, 1976 to T. Weiss and U.S. Pat.No. 6,471,899, issued Oct. 29, 2002 to Dalber et al., each discloseapparatus for forming wick holes during manufacture of a candle.

The above-mentioned '563 patent is directed to candle redressing, butnot to a system for both redressing and forming a new candle from theresultant candle wax. The '945 patent does not discuss candle redressingbut simply directs dripping wax from a burning candle to a mold formaking a new candle. The '670 and the '446 patents relate to candlemaking devices for melting old candle pieces (or new candle wax) anddirecting the melted wax into candle molds. None of the referencesdiscloses or suggests a device for redressing used candles and using themelted wax for making a new candle.

While the present invention is applicable to the making of smalldiameter stick candles, it is most advantageously useful in making largediameter pillar candles and container candles. Incorporating a wick, ora plurality of wicks, in these types of candles is often challenging.With a pillar candle, a wick hole, having a sealing washer, is generallyprovided in the bottom of the mold. The wick is threaded through theseal, a knot is tied under the mold and the other end of the wick istied to a rod that bridges the mouth of the mold. Often the knot andseal washer fail to keep the melted wax from seeping out of the mold.Further, the bridged rod rarely maintains the wick taut during molding,resulting in a crooked wick that produces undesired deviations of theflame during burning. For a container candle, a wick hole is notprovided. Rather a wick, generally prewaxed and having a metal discfastened to one end, is carefully positioned in the center of thecontainer while the wick is either attached to a bridged rod asdescribed above, or in the case of a shorter candle, is carefullypositioned to stand up from the metal disc by virtue of its ownstiffness. In either situation, the process is somewhat difficult andtime consuming.

In accordance with the invention, a heated wax melting surface suppliesmelted wax to a container that is placed under a drain. The containermay be a releasable mold for the formation of a pillar candle that isremoved from the mold after cooling or it may consist of a suitable,usually glass, vessel for the formation of a container candle.Alternatively, the container may simply collect the melted wax which isthen poured into another candle mold or container.

This latter method is useful in making small “votive candles” or forfilling a split mold to make a candle of novel shape.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The principal object of the invention is to provide an apparatus forredressing used candles and forming a new candle from the melted wax.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel apparatus forforming a wick hole in a candle.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel apparatus forshaping the bottom of a small diameter stick candle.

A feature of the invention is the wax melting surface of the redressingbowl being angled slightly toward a drain to facilitate drainage of themelted wax.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of shapermeans for shaping the bottom of a small diameter stick candle for betterfitment to a candlestick holder.

Still another feature of the invention resides in the wall of theredressing bowl being angled away from vertical such that inadvertentcontact by a candle will not result in a flat spot on the candle.

A further feature of the invention is in the provision of a barrier forkeeping chunks of wax from clogging the drain.

A still further feature of the invention is in the provision of a wickpin holder for securing one or more vertically oriented pins as themelted wax flows into the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent upon reading the following description in conjunction with thedrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a candle redressing and candle formingapparatus showing the redresser bowl of the invention in cross section;

FIG. 2 is a partial top view of the wax melting surface of the redresserbowl illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial side view of the wax melting surface showing oneversion of a candle bottom shaping feature of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the candle container illustrating the wick pinholder arrangement of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of the candle container of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a partial top view of an alternate wax melting surfaceconstruction; and

FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 6 illustrating another version of thecandle bottom shaping feature.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for redressing a usedcandle and utilizing the melted wax therefrom to form a new candle. Theused candle is held in an inverted position with its top in contact witha heated wax melting surface to melt the wax shoulder and to effectivelyeliminate the crater in the top of the candle. The melted wax isdirected through a drain in the surface to a container for making a newcandle. The melted wax in the container may either be poured into acandle mold for making a new candle or the container itself may be usedas the candle mold.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a candle redresser 10 includes apedestal bottom 12 having a shallow redressing bowl 14 supportedthereon. Redressing bowl 14, having a surrounding wall 19, is fabricatedof metal, or other suitable heat conductive material. Bowl 14 has a flatwax melting, surface 16 that is heated by an electrical heater 18embedded in the bottom of bowl 14. A conventional electrical plug 20couples household power to heater 18 via a switch 22 and wiring 24. Anindicator light 26 is illuminated when switch 22 is turned on andsupplying energy to heater 18. The wax melting surface 16 is preferablyangled slightly towards a drain 35 that is formed adjacent the frontside of wall 19. This angle “a” may be produced by providing a tiltedtop 13 for pedestal base 12, as shown, or by angling the wax meltingsurface itself. A container 50, with an open top and a closed bottom, ispositioned beneath drain 35 for receiving melted wax from wax meltingsurface 16.

A candle 30, having a crater 32 and a shoulder 34 formed therein duringprior usage, is held in an inverted position with its shoulder 34against wax melting surface 16. Candle 30 is maintained in contact withwax melting surface 16 until shoulder 34 has been melted down toeliminate crater 32, thus forming a subsantially flat top. The candlemay now be removed and the wick 38 pried free of the candle top which,after cooling, is restored to very nearly its original appearance.

A candle bottom shaper means in the form of a well 40 is formed in waxmelting surface 16 around drain 35. The well 40, having slightlyoutwardly tapered sides, is used to size and shape the bottom of a smalldiameter stick candle in order to match differing sized candle holders,as discussed previously. To aid in shaping the candle, the front sectionof wall 19 includes a small arcuate section 19 a, that generally followsthe contour of a small diameter stick candle, for providing clearancefor the upper portion of the candle. It will be appreciated that well 40may also be used to simply soften the bottom of a stick candle toproduce a very secure fit within a candle holder.

A shallow gutter 41, formed along the front of wax melting surface 16,empties into shaper well 40 to provide efficient drainage of the meltedwax on surface 16. A removable barrier 36 is provided for preventingchunks of solid wax from clogging drain 35. Barrier 36 is constructed ofplastic, or other suitable material of low heat conductance, and isshaped as shown so that it may be hung over arcuate portion 19 a of wall19 during candle redressing and removed to enable candle bottom shaping,as described.

A multi legged wick pin holder 60 is positioned on the top of container50 and supports a wick pin 65 in a vertical position in container 50while melted wax is delivered thereto. As will be described below inmore detail, wick pin holder 60 straddles the top of container 50 witheach leg being serrated or stepped on its underside for easy centering.A handle 56 and a pouring spout 58 are incorporated to enable container50 to be used for pouring melted wax into a separate candle mold, ifdesired.

The melted wax obtained by redressing candle 30 flows into container 50.Additional wax may be added to container 50 by redressing other candlesor by melting pieces of wax, whether from old candles or from new candlewax, on the wax melting surface 16. (New candles of interesting colordesigns may be readily formed by selection of appropriately coloredpieces of wax or old candles.) When the melted wax has cooledsufficiently to solidify in container 50, wick pin 65 is withdrawn,leaving a smooth central hole in which a pre waxed wick may be readilyinserted and trimmed, as discussed above. It should be noted that, asthe wax in container 50 cools, it shrinks away from the walls ofcontainer 50, thus allowing easy removal of the new candle. The initiallighting of the wick in the newly formed candle will produce a pool ofmelted wax at the base of the flame which draws into and fuses the wickin the wick hole. The wick holder 60 can also be used as a bridged rod,described above, to support wick material directly in making a candle.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, outwardly angled wall 19 of redresserbowl 14 has a generally square periphery. The angle of deviation of wall19 from vertical is indicated by “b”. Preferably the base of wall 19 issmoothly contoured into the wax melting surface 16. The angled featureof the wall precludes flat spots being formed in the candle as a resultof the candle being inadvertently brought into contact with the wallduring redressing.

The size and shape of container 50 is a matter of creative choice andany suitable candle mold for the formation of plain or artisticallyshaped candles may be substituted therefor. In this connection, thoseskilled in the art will readily perceive that the candle redresser ofthe invention may be advantageously used to form container candles,i.e., wax-filled glass or other suitable vessels that may be fitted withone or more wicks, with container 50 being used to collect the meltedwax for pouring into other suitable candle molds (not shown) as desired.For these candles, and especially for container candles, the wick pinholder 60 of the invention may be used to good advantage by forming oneor more wick holes in a newly formed container candle.

Reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 more clearly illustrates the wick pin holder60 of the invention where container 50 is used as a new candle mold.Wick pin holder 60 is of cruciform construction with four legs 61 a-61d. An aperture 63 in the center of the cruciform supports wick pin 65vertically in container 50, with the bottom of the pin close to the baseof the container. The undersides of the legs 61 a-61 d are stepped orserrated, as indicated at 62, to aid in positioning of the holder overcontainers of differing diameters. It will also be seen that otherapertures 63′, 63″ and 63′″ are located about the holder 60 for holdingmultiple wick pins, indicated in dashed lines. It will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that the configuration shown is merelyillustrative of a multi wick pin arrangement and others will readilycome to mind. Wick pin holder 60 is preferably of plastic construction,with the wick pins being metallic. It has been found that the metallicwick pins readily release when the melted wax has solidified, leavingnicely formed wick holes for the introduction of pre waxed wicks, asdiscussed above.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate another version of the invention with aredresser bowl 14′ having a wax melting surface consisting of three flatsurfaces 43, 44 and 46, all angling toward drain 35. Additionally, acandle bottom shaper means is provided in the form of a small arcuatesection 45 in wall 19′ of redresser bowl 14′. Arcuate section 45 issimilar to well 40 (FIG. 3) and against the sides of which the bottom ofa small diameter stick candle may be rotated for sizing and shaping aspreviously discussed.

What has been described is a novel candle redresser that incorporatesthe functions of redressing the top of a used candle and forming a newcandle from the melted wax removed by the redressing. It is recognizedthat numerous changes to the described embodiment of the invention willbe apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from its truespirit and scope. The invention is to be limited only as defined in theclaims.

1. A candle redresser system for redressing a used candle having acrater surrounded by a shoulder, comprising: an electrically heated waxmelting surface for melting the shoulder and substantially removing thecrater from a used candle positioned on said wax melting surface; adrain communicating with said wax melting surface for removing meltedwax from said wax melting surface; and a container positioned below saiddrain for receiving said melted wax for forming a new candle therefrom.2. The redresser system of claim 1, wherein said wax melting surface isoriented at a slight downward angle towards said drain.
 3. The redressersystem of claim 2, further including a gutter across said wax meltingsurface in communication with said drain.
 4. The redresser system ofclaim 1, further including a removable low heat conductive barrier forkeeping chunks of wax from clogging said drain.
 5. The redresser ofclaim 1, further including a wall about said wax melting surface, andwherein said wall is outwardly angled vertically from said wax meltingsurface.
 6. The redresser of claim 1, further including candle bottomshaping means for shaping the bottom of a small diameter stick candle.7. The redresser system of claim 6 wherein said shaping means comprisesa well surrounding said drain, said well having tapered sides forengaging and shaping the bottom of a candle positioned therein.
 8. Theredresser system of claim 6, further including a wall about said waxmelting surface; and wherein said shaping means comprises an arcuatesection integrally formed in said wall.
 9. The redresser of claim 1,wherein said container comprises a releasable candle mold, and furtherincluding; a wick pin holder, having multiple legs, bridging the top ofsaid container; and a metal wick pin supported by said wick pin holderand extending to the bottom of said container.
 10. The redresser ofclaim 9, wherein the undersides of said legs are serrated for enablingcentering on containers of differing diameters.
 11. The redresser ofclaim 10, wherein said wick pin holder includes multiple wick pinsupports in said legs for forming multi wick candles.
 12. A candleredresser system for redressing a used candle having a crater surroundedby a shoulder, comprising: a redresser bowl having a wall surrounding anelectrically heated wax melting surface for melting the shoulder andsubstantially removing the crater from a used candle positioned on saidwax melting surface; said wall being outwardly angled from said waxmelting surface; a drain communicating with said wax melting surface forremoving melted wax from said wax melting surface; a gutter across saidwax melting surface in communication with said drain; said wax meltingsurface being oriented at a slight downward angle towards said drain;and a container positioned below said drain for receiving said meltedwax for forming a new candle therefrom.
 13. The redresser system ofclaim 12, further including a removable low heat conductive barrier forkeeping chunks of wax from clogging said drain.
 14. The redresser ofclaim 12, further including candle bottom shaping means for shaping thebottom of a small diameter stick candle.
 15. The redresser system ofclaim 14 wherein said shaping means comprises a well surrounding saiddrain and having tapered sides for engaging and shaping the bottom of acandle positioned therein.
 16. The redresser system of claim 14, whereinsaid shaping means comprises an arcuate section integrally formed insaid wall.
 17. The redresser of claim 12, wherein said containercomprises a releasable candle mold, and further including; a wick pinholder, having multiple legs, bridging the top of said container, and ametal wick pin supported by said wick pin holder and extending to thebottom of said container.
 18. The redresser of claim 12, wherein saidwax melting surface comprises multiple planes, each angled slightlytowards said drain.
 19. The redresser of claim 18 wherein a portion ofsaid wall includes an integral arcuate section forming a tapered candlebase shaping surface for shaping the bottom of a candle.
 20. A candleredresser method comprising: providing an electrically heated waxmelting surface for removing the shoulder and crater from a used candleheld in contact therewith; removing wax from said wax melting surfacethrough a drain into a container; and forming a new candle from saidmelted wax in said container.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein saidwax melting surface is angled slightly toward said drain.
 22. The methodof claim 21, further including providing a well surrounding said drain,said well having tapered sides for engaging and shaping the bottom of asmall diameter stick candle manipulated therein.
 23. The method of claim20, further including providing a low heat conductive barrier forkeeping chunks of wax from clogging said drain.
 24. The method of claim20, further including providing a gutter extending across said waxmelting surface and in communication with said drain.
 25. The method ofclaim 20, further including providing an outwardly angled wall aboutsaid wax melting surface.
 26. The method of claim 20 wherein saidcontainer is a releasable candle mold and further comprising: supportinga multi leg wick pin holder on said container; and supporting one ormore wick pins from said holder to extend toward the bottom of saidcontainer.